A 2023 audit from the New York comptroller found that certain New York-produced items were often excluded from the Nourish New York program. Now, state agencies have corrected the issue.  

“The Nourish NY guidelines have expanded the listing of eligible food sources to include products that were previously omitted, such as maple syrup, honey and whole milk,” the comptroller’s office said in a letter released Monday.  

A previous audit found the state Department of Health (DOH) applied federal Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program standards to the program, which left some organizations unable to purchase honey, maple syrup and whole milk. Three out of 10 food relief organizations the comptroller visited were denied by the DOH the purchase of honey with Nourish New York funds.  

The prior audit found that both the DOH and the Department of Agriculture and Markets needed to strengthen controls on eligible products and expenses for the program.  

“[Both departments] made significant progress in addressing concerns from the initial audit report. Of the report’s five audit recommendations, four were implemented and one was partially implemented,” said a press release from the comptroller’s office.  

The implemented recommendations related to increased clarification on eligible products, improved monitoring, and enhanced documentation and data collection.  

The Department of Health has partially implemented a recommendation to improve the timeliness of cold storage reports that collect information on the ability of food relief organizations’ ability to store perishable items.  

“Without timely issuance of the cold storage report, the Executive and Legislature do not have information available to them to access the cold storage needs of food relief organizations statewide,” the report said.